Tractor guide



O. T. NICHOL TRACTOR GUIDE Jan. 5, 1932.

Filed March 6, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l 'al Il* IFI O. T. NICHOL Jan. 5,1932.

TRACTOR GUIDE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 6, 1951 Gttomeg Jan. 5,v1932. o. T. NlcHoL 1,840,123

TRACTOR GUIDE @Romani Jan. 5, 1.932. Q T NlCHOL 1,840,123

TRACTORA GUIDE Filed March 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 O. T. N IcHoL.5mg-Wto@ E ik Patented Jan. 5, 1932l UNITED STATES A1 .1.'r15:1\rrjeprice canv r. Menon, oF-voMAHA, NEBRASKA, Assrsnon ToNICHOLMANUFACTURING n COMPANY, A conPoRA-rron or nEBRasnA TRACTOR GUIDEApplication flied March s, 1931. seria No. 520,603.v

` by turning about a vert-ical airis afnarrow iront truck disposedcentrally of the forward portion of the tractor-frame. Itis the obof minvention to )rovlde forV tractors l y of this class a simple,inexpensive, durable` and etlicient automaticguiding device,for use withthe tractor when the same is employed for pulling plows,ycultivators,.-listers, and other agricultural implementsV whichproduce, or Y operate over vground having, iurrows or ridges which maybe engaged by pilot-members to control the guidingfmeans. A Jfurtherobject of my invention is to provide, for tractors of this class, anautomatic guiding attachment which may bequickly .and easily applied toand removedirom the tractor. A further object of my invention is toprovide a tractor-guide in which the pilot-members may be reversed orchanged from one side of the line of travel'to theother,

- orelevated to an inoperative position, and

in which the guide'mechanism may be adjusted, to varyv the relation'ofthe line'of travel to the guiding furrowor ridge, while the tractor isin operation, andwithout requiring the operator to dismount. from theseat of the tractor to effect lsuch adjustments. A further object of myinvention is to providey al tractor guiding device having a minimumextension infront of the tractor-frame and wheels, whereby to enable thetractor to closely approach, fences or other objects withoutinterference of the guiding Ydevice therewith.Y Y f Y i In theaccompanying drawingsFigl is a front view of mechanism embodying `myinvention, the pilot-members being laterally extended, Fig. 2 is a sideview of the same, with the .pilot-members in elevated position, Fig. 3is a detail side View of the adjusting devices for varying the lateralAextension of the pilot-members, Fig. 4 is a detail Aplan 'view of thesame,-Fig. 5 is a'plan yview of the Y guide mechanism in normal centeredposition, Fig. 6 is a plan' view of the same with the pilot-membersadjusted for lateral eX- ytension greater than normal, 7 is a similarview showing theopposite lateral adjustment, F ig. 8 is a side viewshowing the guide mechanism raised by tilting about the support-bracket,Fig.;9 isa side view, partially yin section,of the adjusting meansconnect- -"55 ng'the pilot-members and theaXle-shaft off the tractor,Fig. lO'is a front view showing the guide mechanism equippedfwithcultivating attachment, Fig. .l1 is a side View of Vthe same, and Fig.l2'is a detail partial plan to` View of the cultivatingguideattach-ment.

Tractors of the class with which my guiding attachment is adapted foruse, have a rigid frame-structure oi which the front end is formed by across-member or bolster com- 65 prising a lower horizontal portion 20,an arched upper transverse portion 21, a central vertical tubularportion 22 carried by the archedy transverse portion 21 and extendingupwardly therefrom, and a vertical central 170 tubular portion 23carried by the lower horizontal portion 2O and extending downwardlytherefrom. Beneath `the portion 23 of the bolster is the shorttrontaxleon which the front wheels 24 are mounted revolubly, and k75 rigidly.connected Lwith lsaid 'axle'` is the vertical axle-shaft 25 whichextends through suitable bearings ydisposed within thetubula1fbolster-1nembe-rs 22 and 23. The lmanual steering .meansfor thetractor isV connected '80 with the upper end of the axle-shaft 25, por-lltions of said steering means being carried by a bracket 26 which isclamped about the upper portion of the tubular bolster-member 22.`v.Secured upon the axle-shaft 25, intermediate the bolster-members 22and 23, is a shifter-leveror arm 27 which extends forwardly, and abovethe hub'portion of said arm-there is a collaror spacer which .has avshort arm 2,8 extending horiontally'slightlyf90 above thearm 27. Theends of said arms 27 and 28 are slotted longitudinally, and, in the useof my guidingV mechanism upon lthe tractor, the arm 27 is employed forturning the axle-shaft 25 to effect the desiredv guiding -95 of thevehicle. v In the illustrated structure there is secured .to theshifter-arm 27 a plate 29of which the rear portion extends beneath theLarm 28 and has side flanges 30 which lit over 1100 the sides of the arm27 to hold the plate in alinement therewith. On the lower side of theplate 29, adjoining the front end of the arm, is a boss 31 which holdsthe plate slightly above the arm, and a bolt 32 extends through saidboss and through the slotted end of the arm to secure the. plate fixcdlythereon. Near the rear end of the plate is a bolt 33 of which the headis between the plate and the arm 27, and which extends through the slotin the end of the arm 28 and thereb retains said arm in register withthe arm 2 The front portion of the plate 29 extends laterally andforwardly from the arm 27 and has an arcuate edge curved concentricallywith the bolt 33 and provided with a series of notches 34, as best shownin F ig. 4. Connected pivotally with the bolt 33, and rest-ing slidablyupon the plate 29, is a socket-member 35 having beneath the frontportion thereof an L-shaped lug 36 extending about the front edge ofsaid plate 29 as a guide for the socket-member during lateral swingingmovements thereof. On the upper side of the socket-member are a pair ofannular lugs 37 and 38 having a common horizontal axis, said lugsforming a socket or bearing in which is held rotatably a cylindricalstem 39 formed integrally with the guidehead 40. The latter is arectangular lon itudinally slotted body extending forwar ly .from thestem 39 and normally alined with the arm 27. The stem 39 is retained inthe socket by means of a transverse pin 41 extending through the sternbehind the annular lug 38. Upon the side of said lug 38 is pivoted alatch-member 42 of which the lower portion extends through a guide 43 onthe side of the socket-member and is normally held in engagement withone of the notches 34 in the plate 29 by means of a spring 44 connectedtherewith as shown in Figs. 3 and 9. The upper portion of thelatch-member has a horizontal arm 45 extending forwardly therefrom, andto said arm is connected a exible oord or line 46 which is passedthrough suitable guides to a position accessible to the operator of thetractor, so that by tension upon the cord the latch-member may betilted, as shown by dotted lines in Fig.` 3, to disengage the same fromthe notches 34 n the plate 29. lVhen the latch is thus disengaged, thesocket-member may swing about v the axis of the bolt 33 to limits atwhich it engages stop-pins 47 on the plate 29, and when the latch isengaged in one of the notches 34 the socket-member is held in fixedrelation to the plate 29 and arm 27, so that the Latter and theaxle-shaft 25 may be actuated by lateral swinging of the head 40.

The collar portion of' the bracket 26 has at the front side thereofvertical anges through which clamp-bolts 48 extend transversely. Infront of the bracket 26 I provide a head-block 49 having at the rearside thereof parallel vertical flanges 50 which straddle said flanges ofthe bracket-collar, and the upper of the clamp-bolts 48 is passedthrough said Hanges 50 to pivotally connect the head-block with thebracket. Carried upon the head-block and extending forward horizontallytherefrom, is a pin or stud 51 on which a swivel-ring 52 is heldrotatably between a pair of fixed collars 53. Extending diagonallydownward and forward from the swivel-ring, and passing through thelongitudinal slot or opening in the guide-head 40, is a tubular boom orguide-beam 54 having at the upper end thereof a forked head 55 whichstraddles the swivel-ring and is pivotally connected therewith to swingabout an axis transverse to the axis of said ring. At the lower end ofthe boom 54 is an elbow 56 from which a tubular arm or nose-piece 57extends forward horizontally. On the lower intermediate portion of theboom a short stud or pin 58 is affixed to and extendsv forwardlytherefrom, and upon said stud is pivotally mounted a swivel-block 59which is retained thereon by a Cotter-pin 60 extending through the frontend of the stud, as shown. The block 59 has a transverse tubular portionin which the intermediate portion of a tubular cross-bar 61 is heldrotatably by means of collars 62 secured to said crossbar adjoining the.swivel-block. Parallel brace-rods 63 are connected pivotally with theends of said cross-bar 61, and extend therefrom diagonally upward andrearward, the upper ends of said rods being pivotally connected withbrackets 64 secured to the tractor-frame at the ends of the lowerportion 20 of the bolster. The tractor-flame and the brackets 64,together with the cross-rod 61 and brace-rods 63, form a jointedparallelogram which allows transverse movementI of the cross-bar whilethe same remains par allel with the bolster, and the swivel-block 59 isthus constrained to a slightly arcuate path of movement, substantiallyin the diagonal plane of the rods 63. Said rods 63 and the cross-bar 61thus serve to hold the boom 54 in a forwardly inclined position, so thatthe lower portion thereof will clear the wheels 24, while permittinglateral swinging movements of said boom in an inclined plane, the pathof the boom as a whole being in a conoid surface having its apex in theswivelring 52.

0n the nose-piece or member 57 which extends forwardly from the lowerend of the. boom 54, there is pivotally mounted the head 65 of thepilot-beam. The latter is formed by a pair of convergent tubular arms 66and 67 affixed to and extending laterally from the head 65, and rods 68and 69 fitting telescopingly in the arms 66 and 67, respectively, andsecured in adjusted relations therein by screws 70. The outer end of therod 69 isr connected with a collar 71 secured on the rod 68, and thelatter is extended to Vform an axley for the disks orpilotwheels 72which are mounted revolubly on the outer terminal portion of `said rod.VThepilot-beam as a whole is swingable in a transverse vertical plane,about the'aXis of the nose-piece 57,y

to extend to either side of the tractor, for engaging the wheels 72 witha guiding furrow or ridge at therespective side of the line of travel. f

Secured to the ,head-,b

ing through the frame v73, over ythe sheave 75, and thence to a collar77 'on the rod68. The terminal portion of the flexible hoisting memberis preferably formed by a chain 78, and a V-slotted plate 179 isextended rearwardly from the lower portion ofthe hoisthead, so that whensaid chain is, drawn up over the sheave 75 a link ofthe chain may bedetachably Vengaged with said plate byf dropping the chain through theV-slot in a manner which will be obvious. By swinging of thecounterbalanced arm 74L about its pivotal axis, the'. axis ofthe slieavemay remain constant-ly at right angles to the plane ofthe flexiblehoisting member, so that the slieave will turn freely as the hoistingmember is drawn over the saine.

In the normal operation of the guide lmechanism, the latch 42 isengagedin a notch 84 of the plate 29, such that the socket-member andguide-head 40 are alined with the shifter-arin 27, and the'boom 54 liesin a vertical plane, as shown in Figs. 1 kand k5, when the wheels 24 ofthe tractor are,y directed straight ahead for guiding the tractor in astraight line of travel. The guiding of the tractor is effected bydisposingthe pilotwheels 72 in a furrow or straddlinga ridge, thepilot-beam being extended-horizontally to either side of the'y line oftravel of the' tractor, accordingly as the furrow or ridge lies at theright or left side ofthe desired line of travel. Any Alateral deviationof the guiding furrow or ridge causes a like move-` ment of thepilot-wheels, `thus pulling -or pushing upon the pilot-beam to swing theboomv 54 inthe direction which the furrow or ridge turns, and theswinging ofzthe boom causes amovement of the head 40 anc shifter-arm 27in the same direction. rThe shifter-arm 27 being fiXedly'fconnect-edwith the axle-shaft `25, thealatternand the wheels 24 are turned in the`appropriate direction and tothe required extent to guide the tractor inthe desired path parallel'with the guidloclt 49 :entending upwardlytherefrom istheA hoist-head.

ing furrowor ridge. yWhen the tractor is operated on sloping ground,orforfsidehill work, so that byV reason of the surface inclinationfthereis a tendency for the tractor or the implement drawn thereby to deviatefrom 'the normal line of travel, such tendency is compensated intheguide` mechanism by adjustment to effect a lateral swinging ofthe boom54 toward the down-hill side, while the wheels 24 of the tractor aredirected straight ahead. By such lateral swing of the boom 54,thedistance between thepilot-wheels 72 and t-lie center-line of the tractoris increased if the pilot-wheelslarev at the dowii-liill side,orvdecreased if thesame are at theiup-hill side, Vwhen the wheels 24 aredirected straight ahead; and the result, when the pilot-wheels move linoroutto normal relation to the center-line, isto turn the wheels .24slightly up-hill, and to this compensate for the slope f f of thesurfaceaiid maintain anormal line of travel relative to thel guidingfurrow or ridge. The compensating adjustment is effectedby pulling onthe cord 46 to disengage the latch-member 42 from the notch .34m theplate 29, thereby permitting the socket-member toy swing freel about itsaxis lon the bolt 33, then by means of the manual steering mechanismturning the wheels 24 until the saine are suitably directed tocompensate for the slope of the ground-surface, and finally releasingthe cord 46 and allowing the latch-member 42 to engage the adf jacentnotch 34 in the plate 29, whereby to retain the` shifter-arm 27 and theheady 40 in Y theadjusted relation. In Figs. 6 and 7, the socket-memberand Vthe swinging boom are shown as swung to the right and left, re.-

.soectivel fromthe'normal central oosition lthe hoisting member 7 6, andengaging the kchain 78 in the V-slotted plate 7 9, as shown in@ Figs. 2and 8.

When the tractor is driven over rough ground, oracross ditches ordepressions into which the wheels 24 may drop and thus cause the lowerportion or nose-piece of the boom to stri lie the ground, kthe upwardpressure may be relieved bytilting movement of the headblock 49 aboutthe pvot-bolt 48, whereby the forwardly projecting portions of themechanism are raised relative to the frainestructure, as shown in Fig.8.

Referring to Figs. 10, ll andV l2, there is 'shown a device oiattachment for useI in culytivating, or any `similar operation in whichthe drive-wheels of the tractor straddle the'-r k80 of the cultivatingattachmentis 'then dis-l -mounted thereon. The lower ends of the arms 84are connected by an arched yoke 86, and to said yoke is connected thehoist-member 7678, by which the arms may be lifted or swung upwardlyabout the axis of the shaft 83, to dispose the wheels 72 temporarily atan elevated inoperative position. On the heads or portions of the arms84 adjoining the shaft 83 are lugs 87, which are adapted to engage lugs88 formed on the inner sides of the brackets 82, as shown in Fig. 12. tolimit the swing of the arms about the shaft-axis. To the cross-arms 81,near the ends thereof, are connected pivotally the lower ends ofdiagonal rods 89 which extend upwardly and rearwardly in parallelrelation, and at their upper ends are connected pivotally with acrossrod 90 carried by the head-block 49. Said rods 89 retain the arms81 in a substantially horizontal position, while permitting thelateralswing of the boom 54 during the operation of the guidcmechanisin.

Now, hinting described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a guiding attachment for tractors of the class having a high frontframe-member and steering means including a vertical axleshaft mountedcentrally in said frame-meniber and having a forwardly extendingshifter-arm, a swinging boom connected pivotally with the upper portionof said frame-inember and extending downwardly and forwardly therefrom,pilot-members carried upon the lower portion of said boom, swingingbracemembers connected pivotally with the tractor-frame and said boomand constraining the latter to swing transversely in an inclined plane,and a guide-head carried upon the shifter-arm and engaged with theswinging boom to be actuated therefrom.

2. In a structure as set forth in claim 1, means pivotallyr connectingthe guide-head and shifter-arm, and a releasable latch device forretaining said parts in laterally adjusted relations.

3. In a guiding attachment for tractors of the class having a high frontframe-member and steering means including a vertical axle shaft mountedcentrally in said front frame member and having a forwardly extendingshifter-arm, a head-block mounted on the upper portion of said frontframe-member, a boom connected with said head-block to swingtransversely and longitudinally of the tractor-frame, said boomextending dia onally downward and forward from the hea block,pilot-members connected with the lower portion of said boom, swingingbrace-members connected pivotally with the tractor-frame and the lowerportion of the boom and constraining the latter to swing transversely inan arcuate iatli, and a guide-head connected with said shifter-arm andstraddling an intermediate portion of the boom whereby the shifter-armis actuated by the transverse swinging movements of the boom.

4. In a structure as set forth in claim 3, means pivotally connectingthe front framemember and the head-block to enable upward tilting of thelatter and relieve upward pressure upon the swinging boom.

5. In a guiding attachment for tractors of the class having a high frontframe-member and steering means including a vertical axleshaft mountedcentrally in said front framemember and having a forwardly extendingshifter-arm, a head-block mounted on the,

upper portion of said front frame-member, a boom pivoted on saidhead-block to swing about longitudinal and transverse axes, said boomextending diagonally downward and forward from the head-block,pilot-members carried upon the lower portion of said boom. swingablebrace-members connected with said boom and constraining the same toswing transversely in a coiioid path, a guide-head having a. slottedportion stradding an intermediate portion of said boom, a socket-memberin which said guide-head is mounted to rotate about a horizontal axis,and means connecting said socket-member with the shifter-arm whereby thelater and the axle-shaft are actuated according to the transversemovement of the swinging boom.

6. In a guiding attachment for tractors of the class having a high frontframe-member and steering means including a vertical axleshaft mountedcentrally in said front framemelnber and having a forwardly extendingshifter-arm, a boom connected pivotally with the upper portion of saidfront frame-niember to swing about horizontal and transverse axes, saidboom extending diagonally downward and forward from the pivoted endthereof. pilot-members carried upon the lower portion of said boom,swingable bracemembers connected with an intermediate portion of theboom and constraining the same tov maintain an inclined position whileswinging transversely of the tractor-frame, a guide-head having aslotted portion straddling an intermediate portion of the boom, asocket-member in which said guide-head is mounted to rotate about ahorizontal axis, means pivotally connecting said socket-member and theshifter-arm to enable relative transverse swinging movements thereof,and a releasable latch mechanism for connecting the socket-member andshifter-arm in adjusted relations.

7. In a guidingattachment for tractors of the class having a rigidframe-structure and steering means including a vertical aXleshaftmounted in the front central portion of the frame-structure and having aforwardly extending shifter-arm affixed to said axleshaft, a horizontalplate secured to said shifter-arm and having a notched arcuate edgeportion, a socket-member pivoted to said plate to swing about saidnotched arcuate edge, a latch-member carried by said socketmember andreleasably engaged with said notched edge of the plate to retain thelatter and the socket-member in adjusted relations, a guide-head havinga horizontal stem rotatable within said socket-member, a boom pivotallyconnected with the rigid framestructure to swing transversely thereofand engaged with said guide-head to actuate the latter by transverseswinging movement, and pilot-members carried by said boom andcontrolling transverse swinging movements thereof.

S. ln a guiding attachment for tractors having a high frontframe-structure and steering mea-ns associated therewith and including'an arm swingable transversely in a horizontal plane, a head-blockconnected pivotally with the upper portion of the framestructure toswing upwardlyT about a trans- Y verse horizontal axis, a boom connectedpivotally with said head-block and extending downwardly and forwardlytherefrom, swinging brace means for maintaining the inclined position ofsaid boom during transverse swinging movement thereof, pilotmemberscontrolling transverse swinging movements of the boom, and meansconnecting said boom with the arm of the steering means and adapted tocommunicate to the latter the transve se movements of the boom.

9. A structure `as set forth in claim 8, wherein the connecting meansbetween the boom and the arm of the steering means includes partsreleasably connected in variable relation, whereby to vary the operativerelation of the boom and said arm of the steering means.

ORR T. NICHOL.

